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Page 1 of 9 Yet another Highland March passes as this 6th event came and went in no time at all. Possibly the most successful walk to date saw records broken left right and centre, from the number of new recruits for an End to End to the number of people to complete any leg.
Not many blisters were on show, as the SPL Split (or Splitus Daftus) threw up the shortest walk to date of Falkirk to Inverness. Despite this being done the other way round on the Inaugeral event, Falkirk Football Club have since changed location of their stadium to the other side of the town - meaning an option to hike over the Ochills and a third chance to take in the Pass of Glen Tromie.
After plotting the route, re-plotting and plotting again, the accommodation soon fell into place nicely for the end of each day as we once again visited the Pottery and Carrbridge Bunkhouses. The weather man also insisted on being kind to us this year, and almost every marcher experienced sunburn at some stage.
4 new recruits, the return of Yompa (who was very much doubtful during the planning stages) and even a visit from the Amigos Gringo, meant HM6 was going to be far different than any other march to date.
Day 1 - Lightning Speed.
General Dogsbody (CaleyD/Dogs) gathered the troops in good enough time to head down the A9 for the game against Falkirk at their new home in Westfield Stadium. As some of us had not met before today, the minibus seemed quiet as the strangers tried to suss out the personalities of the people they would spend the next 8 days with.
En route, we took the opportunity to stop off for some snacks and juice and began talking about what the new recruits (Slater, Dunco and Lady Madonna) could expect during this experience. Stories from old were starting to flow and the banter soon came to life. By the time we’d hit Stirling to drop off our bags, the Number Plate Poker and Yellow Car games had begun - a game that would continue through the week, with rules on how to play them changing by the second.
We’d agreed to head out to lunch at a local restaurant pre-match, meaning only pasta pots would suffice when eating ‘on the hoof’. Flashbacks of last years visit to Leddard Farm came flooding back as we were lead to our table by a blonde haired boy in tight fitting trousers. Lady Madonna certainly doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘subtle’!
More stories continued to ring in the ears when ‘Dogs’ ordered a super duper Chilli Burger whilst others ordered haggis filled baked tatties. If I said ‘Dawn Chorus’ and ‘Down Wind’, you would get the gist of the conversations floating around the table!
Onto the match itself and a rather uneventful game it was too. Going in 1-0 behind at half time, we were ushered around to the players tunnel for our traditional send off of a parade around the pitch. It was now when the new recruits took in the realisation that this was no stroll up the road, but the Highland March was about to commence in less than 1 hour, soon after the final whistle.
Falkirk finished on top with a 2-1 victory, meaning this was the first record to be broken as we had never walked from a defeat at the start of any pervious Highland March. Talk of storms arose when clouds appeared on the horizon, yet spirits continued to remain high as we set off under the motorway and onwards North to the Kincardine Bridge. Our aim for the day was to get to Tillicoultry at the foot of the Ochills and our 1800ft climb out on Day 2.
The storm clouds did eventually get overhead and the rain began to poor, soaking us all before we even thought about waterproof clothing. Some of us still in kilts, we trundled along without a care in the world, until the sudden realisation we could be somewhere else. Somewhere hotter, somewhere with a nice beech, somewhere out of the storms. ‘Photo Opportunity #1’ as the ‘Sunshine In Florida’ banner beamed at us from the side of the Dual Carriageway. Luxery Villas? No thanks, we’ve got a walk to get done…. A’hem!
Thunder and Lightning soon dimmed after then but the rain was to be with us for almost the remainder of the day. We had so far set a decent pace and reached the other side of the Firth of Forth in good time.
Continuing past work for the new link road through Kincardine, we progressed further North to meet ‘Dogs’ for a spot of dinner. Pasta Pots on the Hoof with a couple tins of Relentless saw us head into Clackmannan in no time at all and a visit to the local public establishment - only not for a beer.
Summoned by a couple of lasses at the door, the lads of the group didn’t look like refusing the opportunity to talk about our venture. Collecting from a group of Rangers fans saw both tins full in a matter of minutes, and with Yompa now getting a move on, it was a case of playing catch up along the only off-road section of the day.
Leaving the A907, we head under the newly rebuilt Stirling - Alloa - Clackmannan railway line and up to the Gartmorn Dam and eventually the first ‘lost‘ badge of the walk. Chumba had inadvetedly taken what he thought was a short cut to catch up with Yompa and create an ambush. To see his disappointment and confusion when he almost ran right past us at the end of his track was splendid.
Battering midgies away with our maps like a bush whacker, we once again get on the right track to our rendezvous with ‘Dogs‘, but not before Jnr earned his ‘Show-jumping’ badge at a local Equestrian field.
Sterling Furniture Factory in Tillicoultry was the end of Day 1 and all troops were present and correct. No signs of blisters just yet, but give it 24 hours and we’ll see what we conjure up then.
Miles Completed = 13
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